I can't help but wonder if Kates, Good Vibrations, etc are part of this sting or not.
CALGARY -- City vice cops have shut down what they call a major prostitution ring run by an alleged madam. Customers of 19 escort agencies may be surprised and nervous to learn cops say they've arrested a woman they allege to be Calgary's answer to Heidi Fleiss -- and nabbed her client lists, the Sun has learned.
"The odds are we're going to find some high-profile Calgarians there -- (the escort agencies) have an established customer base," said Calgary police Det. Cam Brooks of the vice unit.
"We anticipate talking to those clients because they potentially will have evidence we can use in court."
The investigation -- dubbed 'Operation 24' -- began in December when cops acted on a complaint.
Police staged a complex undercover operation and were surprised by what they found.
Police allege the woman is a sophisticated madam, exactly like Heidi Fleiss and referred to the notorious Hollywood Madam who operated a million-dollar call girl operation that catered to high-profile clients during the early 1990s.
"(She allegedly) has about 34 girls working for her in at least 19 different businesses," Dulaney said.
Cops allege the working women were higher-end call girls who flaunted their wealth with nice homes and fancy vehicles.
"The escorts charged $200 for a half-hour, $245 for three-quarters of an hour and $285 for a full hour," Brooks said.
The accused allegedly got a cut.
Some of the more popular women would meet four or more clients a day, earning them "more than a grand a day," Brooks said.
According to police, all the escort businesses owned by the accused were run from a single location with about 20 client phone lines.
The escorts were, as a requirement of their employment, required to man the phones as part of their shift and match the client with an on-call employee.
However, they could also attract their own clients.
Police allege that by arresting a suspect, they have shut down most of the illicit businesses.
Kathleen Eleanor Wilson, 62, was charged with living off the avails of prostitution and compelling a person to carry out an act of prostitution.
She will appear in provincial court next week.